Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Now in her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs has made a name for herself as a pragmatic legislator and a respected leader on a variety of topics – including foreign policy, child care and children’s issues, reproductive rights, data privacy, LGBTQ+ rights, military quality of life, emerging and evolving technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more.
LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP
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As one of the youngest women to serve in Congress, Congresswoman Jacobs is a champion for reproductive rights. She introduced the My Body, My Data Act – a landmark bill to protect reproductive and sexual health data – and became the first Member of Congress in history to talk about her period on the House Floor. The My Body, My Data Act was a model for Washington State’s My Health, My Data Act, which Governor Inslee signed into law in April of 2023, making it the strongest state law on the books to protect reproductive and sexual health data. The bill also served as a framework for California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, which Governor Newsom signed into law in September of 2023. Congresswoman Jacobs is also the co-lead of the Right to Contraception Act, the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act, and the MARCH for Servicemembers Act – all aimed at protecting bodily autonomy and privacy in the post-Roe era. While urging passage of the Right to Contraception Act, Congresswoman Jacobs became the first Member of Congress in history to talk about using Plan B on the House Floor.
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Congresswoman Jacobs has been a leader in pushing for robust investments in the nation’s child care infrastructure, consistently calling for more funding for the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG), early childhood programs, child care stabilization grants, and more. She is a co-lead of the Child Care for Every Community Act to build a network of federally funded, locally run child care centers across the country so that every family has affordable, accessible child care — and is an original co-sponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act. She also co-led the Child Care Stabilization Act to invest $16 billion in Child Care Stabilization grants to states to address the child care cliff — a request echoed by President Biden.
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As the sister of a trans brother and gender non-confirming sibling – and as Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force – Congresswoman Jacobs is an outspoken champion for the LGBTQ+ community. She led a resolution recognizing Trans Day of Visibility and introduced the Ensuring Military Readiness Not Discrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination in the military and protect trans service members, and the bipartisan and bicameral Global Respect Act to impose sanctions on foreign individuals who violate the human rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
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As San Diego’s sole representative on the House Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Jacobs has championed quality of life issues for service members, military families, and veterans. In response to the acute crises San Diego veterans face, she co-led the Return Home to Housing Act and introduced the bipartisan Ending Veteran Homelessness Act and End Veteran Hunger Act. She worked with a bipartisan coalition to pass the Military Hunger Prevention Act into law in her first term to create a basic needs allowance that would help low-income military households afford groceries. In 2024, she worked to expand this benefit to 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. On the committee's Quality of Life panel, Congresswoman Jacobs passed a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and 4.5% pay raise for all other service members. In 2024, Congresswoman Jacobs helped address challenges to recruit and retain military child care workers by redesigning and modernizing DOD's child development program staffing and compensation model to strengthen staff retention, eliminating child care fee assistance wait lists by fully funding child care fee assistance programs, and covering 100% of the child care fees for the first child of a child care provider. Congresswoman Jacobs expanded the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for junior enlisted service members. Congresswoman Jacobs also eliminated co-pays for birth control for service members and established a pilot program to reimburse active duty service members for the cost of freezing, shipping, and storing their gametes.
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Congresswoman Jacobs has been a leader on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, including passing two significant resolutions through the House. Her bipartisan resolution with Reps. Peter Meijer (R-MI), Bobby L. Rush (D-IL), and Tracey Mann (R-KS) condemning the use of hunger as a weapon and recognizing the effect of conflict on food security was signed into law by President Biden in December of 2022.
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Congresswoman Jacobs is focused on designing a foreign policy for the 21st century. In working toward that goal, her legislation, the Diplomatic Support and Security Act, whcih encourages expeditionary diplomacy and corrects risk aversion at the State Department - was signed into law by President Biden in December of 2022.
FIGHTING FOR SAN DIEGO
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Congresswoman Jacobs has returned over $42 million to her constituents through federal casework in her first two terms in Congress. She and her team have helped more than 4,130 local residents address federal casework issues, ranging from Medicare and Social Security services, immigration and visa assistance, federal grants, and more.
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Congresswoman Jacobs – in partnership with Congressman Juan Vargas – has unlocked more than $700 million to address pollution and sewage in the Tijuana River Valley by repairing and expanding capacity of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP). She has continued to work with her colleagues in San Diego’s congressional delegation to bring national attention to this environmental and public health crisis.
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In 2022, Congresswoman Jacobs secured $800 million for FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to help cities like San Diego care for migrants and asylum seekers through shelter, food, transportation, basic health and first aid, COVID-19 testing, the construction and expansion of shelters, and more, including $70 million awarded to non-profits in San Diego. In 2024, Congresswoman Jacobs secured another $650 million for FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP) to help care for migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border – including $82 million for San Diego non-profits.
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In her first two terms in Congress, Congresswoman Jacobs secured over $32.5 million in Community Project Funding for projects specifically in California’s 51st District that center equity and children’s issues, including ones to expand access to child care and health care, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and end the gun violence epidemic.
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Congresswoman Jacobs secured more than $44 billion in infrastructure funding for California through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, including $24 million to improve the San Diego International Airport.
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Congresswoman Jacobs secured more than $1 billion through the American Rescue Plan for local government and institutions of higher learning in San Diego County to get schools open, provide small business grants, keep essential workers on payroll, and maintain services during the pandemic.
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Congresswoman Jacobs led the Congressional effort to name a U.S. Navy warship after Fireman Telesforo Trinidad, the first and only Filipino sailor and Asian American sailor to receive the Medal of Honor. In May 2022, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Telesforo Trinidad, honoring the significant contributions of Trinidad and Asian American service members in the U.S. Armed Forces.
- In 2024, Congresswoman Jacobs helped secure a direct flight to and from Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) and San Diego, helping San Diego’s military community travel efficiently to the Pentagon and strengthening San Diego's status as a binational tourist destination. Prior to this change, San Diego was the largest passenger market located outside the perimeter without non-stop service to DCA.
BIPARTISAN SUCCESSES
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As Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Africa, Congresswoman Jacobs works closely with her Republican counterpart, Subcommittee Chair John James. They led a coalition of colleagues to introduce a bipartisan resolution calling for additional efforts to end the ongoing conflict in Sudan and support the transition to a democratically elected government.
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Congresswoman Jacobs authored and introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Drug Shortage Prevention Act with Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in response to the shortages in Children’s Tylenol, Children’s Motrin, and children’s chemotherapy drugs. The bill allows the FDA and drug manufacturers to work together to improve demand predictability.
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She has worked closely with Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to expand access to fertility treatment for service members in the FY23 and FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Congresswoman Jacobs and Congressman Gaetz, colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee, have also worked together to ban the transfer of cluster munitions – bomblets that indiscriminately kill civilians in war zones.
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Congresswoman Jacobs co-leads the Military Food Security Act, with Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Blake Moore (R-UT), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mike Levin (D-CA), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), which would expand eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA). The legislation would remove the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from income computation that is calculated to determine service members’ eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA).
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Congresswoman Jacobs co-led the bipartisan, bicameral Military Housing Readiness Council Act with Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), which would help ensure safe and high-quality private military housing. This legislation was signed into law in 2023.
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Congresswoman Jacobs co-led a letter with Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) asking Secretary Becerra to study traumatic brain injury (TBI) for veterans.
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Congresswoman Jacobs’ bipartisan resolution with Congressman Peter Meijer (R-MI), Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL), and Congressman Tracey Mann (R-KS) condemning the use of hunger as a weapon and recognizing the effect of conflict on food security was signed into law by President Biden in December of 2022.
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Congresswoman Jacobs helped introduce the bipartisan and bicameral Federal Government Surveillance Act with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Lee (R-UT), and Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), which would give our intelligence agencies the necessary tools to combat terrorism while protecting Americans’ constitutional right to privacy and preventing the mass collection of Americans’ activities — from phone calls and website searches to emails and location data.
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Congresswoman Jacobs introduced the bipartisan Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act with Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ken Buck (R-CO), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY), which would close loopholes allowing the government to purchase Americans’ data from big tech companies without a search warrant. A narrower version of this legislation passed through the House in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
LEADERSHIP IN CONGRESS
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Congresswoman Jacobs is the youngest member of House Democratic Leadership, serving as the Caucus Leadership Representative and representing the five most junior classes at the leadership table.
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Congresswoman Jacobs serves as the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, and is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Ghana Caucus.
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Congresswoman Jacobs is the Founding Co-Chair of the Protection of Civilians in Conflict Caucus to conduct oversight and advance policies that prevent, reduce, and respond to civilian harm resulting from U.S. and partners’ operations.
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Congresswoman Jacobs is Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.
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Congresswoman Jacobs serves as Vice Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Artificial Intelligence Working Group and is a member of the Bipartisan Task Force on Aritificial Intelligence.
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In the 117th Congress, Congresswoman Jacobs served as the New Member Representative for the Democratic Women’s Caucus, the Vice Chair of Future Forum, and the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Future Caucus. She also served as the Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations, and Global Corporate Social Impact.
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Congresswoman Jacobs has served on the Speaker’s Escort Committee for the past three Speakers of the House – for Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the 117th Congress and for Speakers Kevin McCarthy and Mike Johnson in the 118th Congress.
RECOGNITION
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Congresswoman Jacobs was named a Congressional Champion for Children by Save the Children and a Champion for Children by First Focus in the 117th and 118th Congresses, in recognition of her strong commitment to protect the lives and well-being of children. She has been a leader in Congress fighting to address childhood poverty and to secure affordable and accessible child care for families.
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Congresswoman Jacobs received the Rising Humanitarian Leader Award from Mercy Corps for her leadership of H.Res. 922 – condemning the use of hunger as a weapon of war and recognizing the effect of conflict on global food security and famine – and commitment to supporting vulnerable people around the world.
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She also received the Edward F. Snyder Award for Peace from the Friends Committee on National Legislation for her “dedication to advancing legislation for a more just and peaceful world and commitment to reaching across the aisle at a time of great division in our country.”
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Congresswoman Jacobs received the Distinguished Community Health Center Advocate Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers for her strong legislative support of community health centers in California’s 51st District and across the country.
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Congresswoman Jacobs received the Torchbearer Award from the Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) and the Women Legislators’ Lobby (WiLL), in recognition of her leadership to vote against increasing the defense budget for FY22. She has repeatedly spoken out against increasing the defense budget when it fails to adequately address serious quality of life issues for our service members and military families — including affordable and accessible child care, safe housing, and stable job opportunities.
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Congresswoman Jacobs earned a lifetime achievement score of 100% from the Human Rights Campaign in the 117th and 118th Congresses for her strong voting record in support of California’s LGBTQ+ community, and from Planned Parenthood for her leadership fighting for sexual and reproductive health.